It's unlikely that most of us know the political, religious and philosophical beliefs of the CEOs and owners whose businesses we patronize. I have no idea what the founders of Subway might believe, whether or not Macy's board is a cabal of hate-filled bigots, or if the guy who owns that Italian restaurant down the street is a raving right-winger (though I do know he loves Italian soccer!). We traverse the world, make our purchases and eat at our favorite establishments blissfully unaware of anything other than whether the product is good and the price is right. Until we hear otherwise.
While others appear to have known about this long before I did (not generally a fast-fooder, I'm surely granted late-to-the-table bona fides!), it seems Chick-fil-A makes a chicken sandwich so good that footballer Cassanova McKinzy chose a college based on the proximity of said sandwich. So good that some people drive miles to imbibe on a daily basis. So damn good that God said only straight people can eat them.
Wait... what?
OK, I'm paraphrasing, but it seems Chick-fil-A's president (and son of founder S. Truett Cathy), Dan Cathy, has gotten himself into some deep chicken doo-doo for proudly and loudly declaring himself "guilty as charged!" for his support of that great Christian umbrella of homophobia, the "family values and traditional marriage" platform. Yep, he's a believer. And not only has Mr. Cathy blathered all the usual fundamentalist talking points (i.e., "We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit," and "...thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."), but his company has reportedly put their big money where their bigger mouth is by donating nearly $2 million to anti-gay groups.
That's a whole lot of intolerance.
I've eaten only one Chick-fil-A sandwich in my life. Franchises have been sprouting up around Los Angeles and my husband, a noted lover of the better end of fast food (In n' Out being the gold standard), suggested we give them a try, particularly after making humorous note of the McKinzy story. So we tried. Not bad... a decent chicken sandwich if you're going to waste calories on fast food. Would I drive across town to get one? No. Would I choose a school based on one's location? Hell no. But it's better than a Big Mac and the seasoning is tasty. Then I read the press reports on all this anti-gay carrying-on and my stomach seized up... not from the chicken, but the chicken-shit statements of this Christian company president. God Almighty.
I've written before about the oxymoronic (take that any way you'd like) dogma of fundamentalist Christians (Can the Not Crazy Christians Please Speak Up?!), that unhappy mix of God-devotion, Bible-loyalty and cultural/secular intolerance and bigotry. It's a belief system that confounds those not in the "cult" because the very notion of Godliness would seem to suggest love, acceptance and open-hearted tolerance, yet this bunch finds these qualities impossible to apply to non-believers, particularly gays and lesbians. Perversions of Biblical tracts are rampant, used as justification for behaviors and attitudes that would surely have Jesus rolling in his grave if the Man/God hadn't rose up out of there. Blatant declarations of what most would consider unequivocal bigotry are espoused without a glimmer of shame or recognition of their shocking and regressive small-mindedness. In fact, the words and actions of the very high-profile Mr. Cathy make me wonder (even if just satirically) if he's ever considered installing "Gays Only" signs over the back doors of their establishments... I mean, we'll feed 'em, we just don't want 'em stinkin' up the place, right?
All in the name of God, mind you; all in the blessed name of God. Will they ever see the absurdity of that? That's a real question. And no. The answer is likely, no.
Mr. Cathy can believe as freely as the next person, I do not begrudge him that (regardless of my antipathy). But as the president of a company that feeds the public -- the big, unwieldy, melting pot public -- his stance against gays and lesbians is not only distasteful, it is stupidly counterproductive to business (and what could be holier than the bottom line?). Boycotts are being organized, buzz is flying around the viral universe, people are leaving heated messages at both Chick-fil-A's and Mr. Cathy's Facebook pages. The chickens have come home to roost, the feathers are flying' and the clucking is not pretty (I think I just used every chicken metaphor possible).
Will it have an impact? I don't know. It depends on how many people hear about this and how many of those decide that no chicken sandwich is worth supporting ignorance and intolerance.
I do know my husband and I will not eat another Chick-fil-A. That's a start.
Follow Lorraine Devon Wilke on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LorraineDWilke
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When I see everyone pointing fingers at the founder to Chick-fil-a, I see a bunch of hypocrits what cite the first amendment of free speech then wish to take those SAME first amendments from others just because you do not agree! This is completely why the country is in a downward spiral... We all have opinions and beliefs, right? Why cant the guy next to you disagree with you?! All you are doing yourself is "PROMOTING HATRED" as Scott Martini has signified towards the pres of the chicken place... All I see is Scott doing the same thing! Where did the pot of acceptance and tolerance go? With everyone pointing fingers in all directions, it just angers me that no one has taken a step back to look at the entire situation including what they themselves have brought to the table... Lets thing about it...
I disagree with living a homosexual life but work for a fortune 500 company that lives in it. I do not point fingers... I do not condemn... They know my beliefs... They treat me with respect... I treat them with respect... LETS ALL GROW UP!!!
Meet a family deeply affected by this issue: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lorraine-devon-wilke/the-indefensible-defense-_b_832011.html
I realize it will not change the minds of the narrow, the hate-mail will likely continue (damn, Christians can be nasty sometimes!), and those who refuse to look beyond the filter of their dogma will be unimpressed. For the rest of you, it will be moving...it's for you.
http://www.owldolatrous.com/?p=288
1. Chick Fil A hates gay people and believes they are an abomination.
2. Chick Fil A is a hate group, not unlike neo-nazi groups that hate Jews.
3. Before buying any sandwich at Chick Fil A, understand what they do with the money. If you are on board, like Mike Huckabee, buy. If not don't!
Ghandi once said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are nothing like your Christ". Ghandi speaks my mind. To the homophobic Christians on this board, I will ask, "If God is great and God is good, why is your heaven so small?"
I agree with a previous poster that this article is so screwed up and his opinion totally swayed to make people into bigots against all Christians. The majority of posts here are so totally bigoted against Christianity because we don't go along with their opinion. Christians = the new persecuted in this country.
So, if you are a bigot hiding behind Christianity, not only the people you attack, but the real Christians will persecute you back under the rock you crawled out of.
I welcome it! It takes away my lukewarmness... "Devil if you only knew what I was going to be, after the storm, you wouldn't have bothered me!" (Tye Tribbet)
how hard is it to understand that not being supported in your victimizing of gay people isn't the same as being victimized yourselves?
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